


Ruling High School Land Was Hard Work

by an_asuryampasya



Category: 35mm: A Musical Exhibition - Oliver & Murphy
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, I mean it IS The Ballad Of Sara Berry, Minor Character Death, Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24567841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/an_asuryampasya/pseuds/an_asuryampasya
Summary: After losing her leg in a wreck, Julie Jenkins is forced to find new ways to make her mark and remain memorable among her batchmates. With sights firmly set on the Prom Queen Crown, Julie soon learns that wresting control of high school land was a significantly grislier business than she first expected.It's prom night, and something's not right.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey Sara! All this dancing making you thirsty too?”

“-…Sara?”

Oookay then. Guess the silent treatment was still on. But Julie would not let Sara’s behaviour affect her. Not today. There was too much at stake. She cleared her throat and tried again.

“Umm, listen, I know I’m sorta running against y- Oh. Nevermind then.”

Julie wasn’t particularly surprised when Sara left without even gracing her with a glance, but still fought the urge to sigh as Patricia took Sara’s place at the table.

“Well that was rude” Pat offered, while Julie straightened her back and plastered a smile on in greeting.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s just the stress getting to her.” she replied, though Patricia was only half-listening as she picked up the last glass of punch on the table.

Huh. Julie could’ve sworn Sara had been fiddling with that same glass before she left. Did she leave her glass behind? Oh well. That wasn’t important. Keeping Pat happy was. Right. Focus.

“So Pat! Any after-party plans?”

No one would have cause to complain against Julie. Well, at least not until all the votes were cast.

And especially not Pat. All that hair holding as she threw up at Quiara’s party had been a gross business, but a worthy investment.

xoxo

Quiara’s party hadn’t been the best of nights for Julie, although it had started off nice enough. She didn’t really know Quiara, but that didn’t matter. Being a recent amputee meant Julie was automatically invited to every event. It was timed quite nicely too, being the first party since the nominations for the prom queen were announced. The first chance to really go schmoozing and gauge her competition. Until that day Julie knew she had a leg up in the competition because well, the school’ heart went out to her missing leg. Ah, but not _her_ though. She knew that. The school just cared about the one-legged girl. Not the Julie who had her dreams crushed along with her leg.

Well. No matter. It wasn’t particularly surprising, but wouldn’t be sufficient either. Julie might have the school’s pity votes, but she still couldn’t touch Sara’s loyalists. And if she wanted to win, she had to win over those who weren’t already swayed by her leg- or lack thereof.

But it seemed so daft a plan. After spending a lifetime shying away from the social limelight, how could she possibly try competing with Sara when it came to being a social butterfly? It was doomed to fail, but Julie didn’t plan to go down without a fight. She might have not asked to be nominated, but now that she was, it was a point of honour to try to win.

So that night Julie was on a mission. Study Sara. Learn her ways. Identify her loyalists. Try not to let the crushing sense of defeat get too overwhelming. And if possible, woo more votes.

In the end it took only about half an hour amongst the sweaty mass of swaying bodies before Julie found herself sitting on the porch with a new-found appreciation for fresh air. Sara hadn’t turned up yet, which was odd. Or maybe it wasn’t, and Julie had messed up. Perhaps she supposed to have been fashionably late as well? Damn, parties were _hard_.

It was as she was debating whether or not to take off her prosthetic to be more comfortable that the front door banged open and Patricia stumbled out, drunk and crying. Julie froze as Patricia sat down patting-distance away on the porch, wailing noisily. Okay, this was new territory. Instinct dictated Julie was to hobble away as quietly as possible and give the upset girl some space. Gods knew that’s what Julie wanted whenever she cried. But an inconveniently loud voice in her head pointed out that if Patricia had wanted that, she probably wouldn’t have settled so close by. That could only mean she was expecting Julie to comfort her. This was now _uncomfortable_ new territory. How do you comfort someone you’d never spoken to?! Well, except that one time Julie was accidentally blocking Patricia from the vodka earlier tonight.

Patricia gave an extra-pointed sob and Julie finally took the hint. She gingerly placed a hand on Patricia’s shoulder and awkwardly asked if she wanted to talk. Patricia responded by leaning forward and throwing up in the bushes in front of them.

And so the next twenty minutes saw Julie holding back Patricia’s hair as she threw up and attempting to comfort her. Gentle pats seemed to work okay enough. The gagging soon subsided enough for Pat to tell Julie her story, punctured with regular sniffles and some choice names for Sara. Turns out Sara wasn’t just late. The plan had been for her to help Pat get together with her crush tonight, but now that plan was apparently positively ruined as Sara didn’t bother to turn up. And now Marianna was in there snogging someone else while Pat was here instead, forsaken by Sara and reduced to crying outside a party. While Pat bemoaned how unfair her life was, Julie's mind was racing. So Sara bailed on one of her staunchest friends. But _Julie_ had been there, ready with soft reassurances and a weird hybrid of back-rubs and pats.

That night hearts were broken, clothes were ruined, and allegiances were shifted. And things were finally beginning to look up for Julie’s campaign.


	2. Chapter 2

It was such a dramatic moment. Julie was mid-laugh when she caught sight of Sara walking in from the side door. They locked eyes for a split-second. By the time Julie raised her hand in greeting, Sara looked away.   
Julie frowned as she looked back at her glass. That didn’t make sense. Through that door was only a long, dark path that led down to the woods bordering the school property. There was nothing for Sara to be doing down there- unless the large stones lining the path were of any interest to her. Beyond that was just a fence and then a camping ground. It would probably be empty right now though. Julie had been there only once, and fairly recently too. It was their over-zealous principal’s attempt to “get the students in touch with nature”. A compulsory camping trip for everyone, complete with them foraging for firewood and setting up their own tents. A great plan, except for one tiny overlooked detail- Julie was in _crutches_ at that point. Her parents were dead set against it, but she really wanted to go and it _was_ only one night and fairly close-by, so they eventually relented. There were a lot of reasons she wanted to go. For one, her family never did such things so it was a new experience. And then there was the curiosity about whether the school even took into account that one of their students was still learning to use crutches. But more than that it was… spite, she decided. Spite that refused to let the accident rob her of anything more in life.

xoxo

And so that Friday night had rolled around with Julie hobbling along with the rest of the group down the stone-lined path to the woods. A previously unanticipated problem soon emerged- she didn’t exactly have any friends on this trip. The only people she was really close to were her teammates from her old swim team- and exactly none of them were on this trip. Turns out not too many people hung around when you had to painstakingly find the safest way to shuffle your way through dirt and leaves when there was already a raging bonfire going up ahead. And of course, Julie gallantly insisted that no one wait for her to catch up when she saw the unsure glances aimed at her. The few who initially hung back gladly leaving without putting up much of a fight didn’t particularly help her feel any better as she was left to follow them alone.

And of course, then there was the fact that not too many people invited you to join them if it was clear you’d be dead weight when it was time to set up the tents. Almost everyone had already formed groups of three and gotten to work when Julie reached the campsite and looked around for the nearest team still missing a third person. Raquel and Sara. Julie hobbled up to them and Raquel was polite enough to put on a strained smile and agreed to let Julie join them. Julie smiled widely in thanks and turned to Sara, only to be treated to a vicious glare. She was a little taken aback by the open hostility. Sure, technically they were both competing for the same crown, but wasn’t that supposed to be just sporty competition and not actual _hatred?_

Oddly enough, it worked in her favour. Sara’s mild sneering and cold-shouldering throughout the night did not go unnoticed by the rest. Julie though, was beginning to regret ever coming on the trip. It began with pretending she couldn’t hear Julie’s offers to help with the sleeping bags, but Sara just kept ramping up the animosity as the night went on. For her part, Julie had decided to take the high road and not dignify the childish hate with a response- or at least hoped that’s what it looked like. Honestly, she was just too close to tears to risk confronting Sara. Julie was an angry-crier, and that meant right now, she simply had to avoid any and all confrontations. It was embarrassing and infuriating to have your tears thrown back in your face with accusations of always crying to get your way because you were furious enough to start tearing up. She would _not_ let Sara have that as well.

But Raquel had no such qualms to bother about, it seemed. Although her version of standing up to Sara’s behaviour toward the ‘poor handicapped girl’ did leave a bad taste in Julie’s mouth. It was a long, uncomfortable night that gave Julie plenty of time to deeply regret her choice to join the group where one coddled her condescendingly and the other ignored her condescendingly.

By the time they were done with breakfast and packing up the tents, Julie was completely done with the pair of them. At least morning meant the ordeal was almost over- save for one tense moment when Raquel chose to sit with Julie rather than Sara as they boarded the buses. At that point Julie’s heart sank because that probably meant more drama, but the ride was surprisingly uneventful and she was glad to get back to school. Life could go back to normal and she could go back to staying _far_ from this unhappy pair of friends.

It was nearly a week after the camping trip that Julie realised the significance of that moment in the bus. It was the Monday following Quiara’s party when Julie was actively planning her prom campaign for the first time. And through it all, had Raquel there to help her figure it out.


	3. Chapter 3

Julie needed a breather. Being nice to everyone was so _exhausting_. Seriously. Six weeks of being sweet to everyone and she was already fantasising about stabbing Anne with a spork. How did Sara put up with that leech for so long?! Wooing her vote was supposed to bring in just that- another vote. Not a sentient shadow.

It took some effort, but Julie managed to sneak away from the main crowd and headed up to the secluded terrace to sneak a quick smoke. Say what you will about that popular bitch, but Sara got one thing right when she campaigned from more accessibility in the school buildings last year. The ramps were _so_ much easier on her crutches than stairs. Julie made sure to stay away from the parapet walls though, to stay hidden from anyone walking below as she flicked her lighter open. From her terrace, she could only see a patch of grass and the gate to the campsite in the faint light provided by the decorative lampposts at the edge of the school’s property. It was quite a pretty sight, really. An excellent backdrop for a dramatic monologue too, she decided, and whispered to herself.

“’ Twas another unremarkable night as I looked out onto the grounds of trampled grass painted a sickly colour by the garish light of the surrounding lamps. Cigarette butts left behind singed blades of green pockmarking the washed-out scene in front of me. Everything beyond those pools of light was swallowed in the pitch darkness of the 7 PM sky.”

Julie grimaced slightly as she looked down to readjust her crutches to prop herself up against the wall more comfortably. Okay, maybe that last line needed a bit more work. Perhaps she could add a lone figure making its way down the forlorn path. She looked back up to survey the scene once more and this time was greeted by the sight of someone actually emerging from the woods. She nearly stumbled when she tried stepping away immediately and cursed her noisy crutches. Okay, someone really turning up just as she imagined it was a _very_ creepy coincidence.

It should be fine though. There was no light where Julie was and whoever it was was too far away to be able to see her easily. They didn’t seem to be too bothered about being spotted anyway. They leaned against a tree and studied what looked like a hefty stone in their hand. After a few seconds, they carelessly threw it back towards the trees before lighting up as well. Julie carefully hobbled forward to get a better look and snapped a quick picture. Without the flash, she could just about make out the face and hair, but it was easy enough to recognise them. Only one person in school was sporting those long wavy locks today.

What was Sara even doing out there? That was twice today that she was near the forest that Julie was aware of.

Sure, it was none of her business, but Julie _really_ wanted to know what was up with Sara. It wasn’t like Sara shared Anne’s predilections for late-night forest excursions. Or maybe she _did,_ but was just better at hiding them. Julie chuckled to herself as she noted that that wasn’t saying much. All you had to do to clear that low, low bar was to not announce your more kinky desires to the whole school. Not that Julie could complain about the whole Anne fiasco though. It had certainly been useful in winning her vote.

xoxo

The plan had seemed doable enough at first. They were working on a bucket-list assignment in English. When it was Anne’s turn, she- for some godforsaken reason- decided to tell the class that deep down it was her heart’s desire to go streaking in the woods.  
It wasn’t particularly surprising when almost everyone burst out laughing.

Julie quickly bit down her laugh though once she saw a very flustered Anne sitting down looking close to tears. Feeling slightly sorry for her, she tore off a bit of paper and scribbled onto it some comforting words about it being okay and a smile.

It felt a bit weird especially since they weren’t particularly close friends, but Julie decided to risk it and passed the note to Anne. There was no reply but Anne didn’t object when Julie joined her for lunch after the class ended. Anne wasn’t very talkative, but that was fine by Julie. Friends didn’t come easily to Julie unless they were forced to spend hours together, day after day, making laps in the same pool. By the end of the week Julie decided they had spent enough time together to invite Anne over for a sleepover, and Anne’s face positively glowed with joy as she agreed.

Ah, if only Julie had known what a night she had just signed up for.

Anne was fundamentally a nice person. But to Julie, that was the extent of her redeeming qualities. Anne’s way of expressing her niceness ranged from being mildly awkward as she offered you a seat next to her, to quickly becoming a toxic relationship as she inadvertently made you feel miserably guilty for daring to have a life outside of knowing her and pandering to her insecurities. Julie knew it technically wasn’t intentional and tried to not resent her for it, but it wasn’t an easy task.

Anyway. That night was a nightmare but it served its purpose.

That weekend Anne did come over to Julie’s, but only after approximately a hundred and eight questions making sure that Julie really wanted her there, wasn’t just being nice, didn’t resent her, didn’t think she was being clingy, wouldn’t have any issues with her parents, that they wouldn’t mind Anne sleeping in Julie’s room, would be okay with Anne leaving after breakfast the next day, that Julie wouldn’t mind making breakfast, making sure Julie knew that Anne wouldn’t mind, making breakfast, would gladly adhere to any other conditions, would also be okay with leaving immediately after waking up, would definitely be very nice and as quiet or loud as Julie would want, wouldn’t be spoiling any other plans Julie might have, and was game to do anything that Julie wanted that wasn’t illegal but she supposed if Julie really, really wanted they could do it which was really the least she could after Julie was nice enough to invite her and really, was Julie sure it was alright if she came?

It was a long night.

Julie lived just a ten-minute walk away from school but by the time they finally made it home, she was desperately hoping Anne would find something new to obsess over because her patience was wearing thin. Julie’s parents were out of town helping out with planning a cousin’s wedding, meaning they had the entire house to themselves for the night. More importantly, the backyard would be free from responsible parental eyes. Being so close to the school meant they were still part of the ring of houses that bordered the forest and the only thing separating their well-manicured garden from the wild trees was their backyard fence. The area beyond was fairly woody and secluded, but close enough to human civilisation to keep the more dangerous wild animals away.  
And perfect for the brand-new pair of friends to go streaking.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya folks!  
> So about Julie's amputation- I did a bit of research about writing characters with amputations and prosthetics beforehand, but please let me know if I got something wrong.  
> Also, can I just say that reading the ranty tags is fun but damn, tagging is hard. And rating. And summaries. And writing in general.


End file.
